Sunday, October 29, 2017

sermon, "Saintly", by Pastor Ruth Foss, Mountain Heights Healthcare, Patten, ME, October 27, 2017



October 27, 2017
Stetson Memorial UMC
Mountain Heights
Hebrews 10:32-29 NIV
Luke 6:17-34 NIV


“Saintly”

Saint:
: a person who is officially recognized by the Christian church as being very holy because of the way he or she lived
: a person who is very good, kind, or patient
With it getting so close to Halloween, I can’t help but think about the fun. Dressing up and getting lots of candy is not just for the young. I also think about those who have gone before me…those saints within my life. We s Christians Celebrate all Saints day on the 1st of November.

The concept of All Saints Day is connected to the doctrine of The Communion of Saints. This is the concept that all of God's people, on heaven, earth, and in the state of purification (called Purgatory in the West), are spiritually connected and united. In other words, Catholic and Orthodox Christians (and some Protestants) believe that the saints of God are just as alive as you and I, and are constantly interceding on our behalf. Remember, our connection with the saints in heaven is one grounded in a tight-knit communion. The saints are not divine, nor omnipresent or omniscient. However, because of our common communion with and through Jesus Christ, our prayers are joined with the heavenly community of Christians.

I like the thought of our prayers are joined with the “Heavenly Community of Christians”. WE are all connected in life and in death. We are all one family that will meet on day in the sky. But what makes a Saint? What criteria do we use in deciding that someone is a saint or not? I think that some of the answer is found in the Luke scripture I just read.

Ø I think that the people who are considered saints seem to embody the “blessedness” in this scripture. No matter what they go through, they seem to trust God always and accept what they are going through. I think the main thing here is that they trust God. They may question what is going on but in the end, they say “thy will be done.”
Ø It seems as if when things come up against them…when people are trying to bring them down…when people try to assonate their character or what they are called to do, they have that uncanny knack to be able to say “Well obviously I am doing something right.” They view this from heavens eyes…not worldly eyes. No one wants to look bad, no one wants to have someone tell them they are doing something wrong or have someone else show them up. Just as the Sadducees and Pharisees of Jesus’ day, when someone makes certain people look bad…they do all they can do to stop them. They may not crucify them as they did Jesus but they try to kill them in many other ways…
Ø They are some of the humblest people you would want to meet. They are down to earth and don’t get themselves all puffed up about themselves. As a matter of fact, usually when you complement them, they blush and hang their head. They will tell you it is not them but God…they will not take any credit for themselves but gives credit elsewhere…
Ø They act completely the opposite from what the world acts. Instead of getting back at people they do the opposite. They are kind and loving to their accusers. They are not in some popularity contest with people and they don’t try to please everyone around them. They don’t compromise their ethics for anyone.
Ø They love because they can. They don’t play favorites and love even the “un-lovable’s” around them. They not only hang out with other saints but also with those who are “unsaintly” perhaps their saintliness will spur others to want to live the same life…not that they would hold that over others…
So, these are just a few things that make a saint. I know plenty of people who have gone ahead as well as are still here that embody that whole sainthood thing.

Why would anyone even try to be a saint. In the world we live in…being a saint gets you nowhere. Trying to do the right thing gets you kicked right in the pats a lot of times. Why would we even want to look out for others…treat them as if they are special? Well the answer is…they are special. They are special and sacred to God so it should be with those who carry Christ’s name…who embody sainthood and so much more for He was God incarnate…Christians…Christ followers.

Remembering and honoring the saints are beneficial practices, because to remember the heroes of the faith and follow their examples are good things. Many Christians seem to strongly oppose remembering and celebrating the lives of great Christian men and women, yet have no problem celebrating the lives of secular heroes like George Washington. All Saints Day is kind of like a Christian Memorial Day or Presidents Day, a day to celebrate the lives of all the great heroes of the Christian faith, and to celebrate the deep communion we have with them. While celebrating secular heroes is admirable, how much more admirable is celebrating those who fully dedicated their lives to Christ!”

Remembering is good. These are the ones who forged the road before us. Without them where would the church be? These are the ones who are “upstream” for us. As we learn from them we become the faithful saints of God. At this time, we are now the ones who are upstream for those who are downstream looking for help along the way. We have become the Saints for those who are not even born yet as were some of those who believed before us. Hebrews 10:32-39, tells us that we must remember and hold onto that passion and zeal we have for the Gospel of Grace. It is all in the remembering that we can gather strength to move forward for the kingdom of God. We become the light upstream for those who are in the dark downstream…

As I think about the saints that have gone ahead of me there is one thing…one theme so to speak that keeps popping up…God reuses the things that are broken to achieve His plan. God is the ultimate recycler. There is nothing that He can’t use.

It is within our brokenness that He is able to reform us into a thing of beauty. He reclaims us for a far better purpose than what we can imagine on our own. We all have brokenness within us, it all began in a garden before we were ever born. But God…in His infinite wisdom…when the time was right He made a way for us to have that relationship with Him that brings us from brokenness to wholeness.

Now things that are broken need to be fixed right? This includes you and me. But how do we go from brokenness to wholeness? OK…this is how I see it…

Each of us is created a precious vessel of God’s love. But somewhere along the way each of us has experienced hurt in some way, bringing a sense of brokenness. Now in order to begin that “recovery” process we need to realize that moving toward healing is to offer the gift of life and wholeness, not only for ourselves but also for others as we come to see each person as a Holy Vessel and as we come to desire that wholeness for all of creation.
2 Corinthians 4:7 states:
Ø “7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.”

We have that treasure within us…we are the jars of clay that God, even though we are broken, still uses to show His glory through. Remember, even the saints before us were broken. God still used them to bring us to where we are today…

Even though broken, God still uses us to continue to be His light in the world. It is within our brokenness that God repurposes us to be whom He would have us be. Maybe as we realize this we can begin the road to healing and wholeness. Perhaps if we just remember what we have forgotten we would again be strengthened for the journey. We all have cracks and chips, but I would rather be a cracked pot for God than anything else in the world…

Amen



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October 27, 2017
Stetson Memorial UMC
Mountain Heights
Hebrews 10:32-29 NIV
Luke 6:17-34 NIV
and sermon, “Saintly”

by Pastor Ruth Foss
sermon blog
meditation blog
“God’s Whisper” blog
October 27, 2017

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Christ, Faith, God, Spirit, grace, love, Pastor Ruth Foss, Stetson Memorial United Methodist Church, UMC, Mountain Heights, prayer, Hebrews 10, Luke 6, saint, saintly,

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